I have been practicing yoga and mindfulness for over a decade. I discovered yoga while living in the San Francisco Bay Area where I started my studies as a therapist! Coming from such a small town in Western NY, I was not familiar with this kind of practice or lifestyle. Living in the Bay Area really helped me grow as a person both professionally and personally. I started taking yoga classes all over the Bay Area finding my favorite styles and teachers over time. It began being my to-go self-care practice. Yoga and mindfulness helped me protect and restore from general stress. It also provided me with a vessel for healing.
I was waiting to find the right yoga training or studies for myself as I picture myself more as a Yoga Therapist and not a Yoga Teacher, but I decided to just dive into foundation training for Yoga Teacher first and continue to grow from there. I learned that most advanced yoga programs require basic 200-hour Yoga Teacher training anyway.
After taking my 200-hour Yoga Teacher training, my outlook on Yoga changed. I learned that yoga is such a highly personalized tool, and therefore I am more interested in Yoga Therapy as well as Trauma-Informed Yoga. I am excited to continue my studies in Yoga and Mindfulness. I have studied with some Mindfulness and Yoga teachers throughout the years and some of my favorite teachings are in Buddhism, called the Five Noble Truths.
To me, yoga is union. Yoga is not about the poses, meditation, pranayama, the goals you must get your body in a certain position, it’s not about how you look or how flexible or strong you are. Yoga is our relationship with our practice. Our relationship with self. Why does one practice yoga? To understand the true nature of the self.
